Meghna Gulzar and her lyricist father weigh in on the ethos behind her espionage thriller Raazi, and the creative collaboration between the old and the new guard.

■ Gulzar saab, from Filhaal (which was about surrogacy) to Talvar (the judiciary), and now Junglee Pictures and Dharma Productions’ Raazi, which weighs loyalty to family against loyalty to country, how do you, as a filmmaker, perceive Meghna’s journey?

Gulzar: She’s always been a brave girl who made her choices independently and we respected them because we trusted her strength. She was fond of singing and would paint with me, but opted for filmmaking and surprised me with her choices.

When she told me Filhaal was about a surrogate mother, I didn’t understand what she meant, but knew she was in step with the times unlike our films where if a woman was unable to produce a son, ‘hum doosri le aate’. It was a brave step but she was convinced and convinced everyone else. Then, came Talvar, a comment on the judiciary. When your child is taking a step forward, it’s best to hold their hand and let them lead you into the future rather than hold them back.

■ Raazi is another step forward…

G: Yes, and the right step after Talvar. I don’t think any Indian film has treated Pakistani characters with so much dignity. I was born across the border and I know Raazi will bring forth friendly voices between the countries.

Meghna: He never spoke of his days before the Partition, it’s an emotional scar he’s still trying to heal through his writing. He didn’t even visit Pakistan for the longest time because he didn’t want his memories to be diminished by the present.

G: But not a day has passed when I haven’t spoken to someone there.

M: And there was so much warmth in his interactions with those who came across as part of cultural exchanges and perhaps subliminally I imbibed that because. For me, a Pakistani was never the enemy or an alien. They are us and we are them, it’s geography and politics that divide us. As Kanwaljeet says in the film, “Jeet ka jashn manate hue yeh yaad rakhna ki humne kya khoya hai.” Every victory comes with a human collateral, whether it’s an Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Kashmiri.

G: It’s this that makes the film more than another thriller, takes it beyond borders.

■ You left Pakistan at age eight and returned after 70 years. How did it feel?

G: It was like moving from one room in my home to another that housed people like Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi, a renowned poet in Pakistan and also my mentor. My own writing is published there, including a collection of all my poems. The volume is so huge and heavy that it was difficult to courier even 20-25 copies. So Hasan Zia, a poet himself, who’s like a son to me, took the books to Dubai from where they were dispatched through a friend who travelled to Delhi via Mumbai so he could bring the parcel across. As people, we are the same, bas ghar ke buzurgon ko taqleef hai isliye hum ghar ke bichhde hue sadasya ki tarah bade pyaar se kahin aur milte hain.

M: Yes, when we are in the US, UK or another part of South-Asia, borders cease to exist.

■ Did shooting in Kashmir enhance the theme of patriotism?

M: I don’t want to highlight this, but it was important to place the narrative in the Valley because today, for many, it’s difficult to say Kashmir and patriot in the same breath. But those who question, or express disbelief need to introspect historically on why people in the Valley feel this way. When we were there, the locals were very welcoming, but also almost apologetic when they asked, “You feel safe here, na? Aapko kisi baat ka dar to nahin?” I don’t think any citizen in any part of the country should be made to feel this way. On our part we were careful to respect the people and the place. If you go in an empowered, entitled way, there will be backlash.

■ Harinder Sikka had come to you first with his novel, Calling Sehmat. What were your thoughts about the story that Meghna adapted as Raazi?

G: I was committed to other projects then and the love story of Sehmat’s parents’ that he wanted to focus on, seemed juvenile.

M: There are four films in that novel and when I told papa I was adapting it, he couldn’t understand why I’d want to dabble in an action-thriller that had bombs going off. For me the core of the book was Sehmat’s journey and her time in Pakistan. When I sent the first half of the script, which ended with Sehmat realising Abdul is alive, to papa, he responded in less than two hours, saying, “Uff kahan laake chhod diya hai, baki kab bhejoge?” That was a real shot in the arm to me and my co-writer Bhavani Iyer. We immediately got started on cracking the second half.

G: I was stunned, she had found layers we didn’t see. That’s why I say this generation has made better cinema than mine.

Raazi poster: Meghna Gulzar introduces all the characters from the Alia Bhatt-starrer

Ever since the makers made the announcement about Raazi, it has become a talking point on social media platforms. Alia Bhatt collaborated with ace filmmaker Meghna Gulzar for the first time and the association was enough to build up anticipation. While Alia has proved herself as a fine artiste with her matured acting, Meghna has established a strong foothold with her nail-biting film Talvar starring Irrfan Khan.

Now, the duo together has welcomed positive response with the trailer and posters of Raazi. The makers have now unveiled a new poster that introduces all the important characters of the film. While Alia as Sehmat is seen with a gun, her face shows that it breaks her heart to do that. However, nothing comes before her nation – India. Meghna also introduced other characters such as Rajit Kapoor as her father, Vicky Kaushal as her husband. Shishir Sharma plays a Pakistani officer, while Jaideep Ahlawat plays Sehmat’s mentor.

Produced by Vineet Jain’s Junglee Pictures and Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, the film is slated to hit the theatres on May 11.

After hypnotizing cine lovers with nail-biting thriller Talvar, Meghna Gulzar is back with another interesting story. Raazi, starring Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal, is based on Harinder S Sikka’s book Calling Sehmat. While it’s a serious movie set against the backdrop of Indo-Pak War of 1971, the cast and crew thoroughly enjoyed shooting in the beautiful locations of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.

It seems like Alia Bhatt has stolen some moments for herself on the sets of Raazi. The beautiful actress gave a perfect pose for the lens while still in her costume. The actress sits on a windowsill while the walls are covered with red bricks and a poster written in Urdu. Alia shared the image on social media and captioned it, “In between shots on the sets of Raazi. 10 days to the trailer.. Can’t wait.”

Alia and Meghna grew close to each other during the shoots of Raazi. Naturally, the duo felt horrible when they wrapped up the shoot. Alia shared an image of her and Meghna and captioned it, “And we wrapped #RAAZI last night.. Last days are always very emotional because you live with the character for soo many months and then you have to let it go. This is pretty much how our life looked like on set - My director and I just totally lost in our own little world. hope you guys love the film as much as we loved making it.” Alia and Meghna looked deeply engrossed in their conversation and we wonder what they are actually talking about.

Vicky Kaushal gained prominence on the silver screen with his debut film Maasan and the actor never looked back. The lead pair and director shared another moment together, perfectly captured by the shutterbugs. Alia, Vicky and Meghna are caught laughing their hearts out while sharing a single rock. The lensman also showcased the beautiful terrains behind them… Indeed, the photographer has an eye for beauty!

Being a celebrity is not an easy job and actors are always under the scanner of media and fans. Alia, however, could steal a moment for herself while shooting Raazi in Jammu and Kashmir. She shared a beautiful picture of herself enjoying the serene beauty while asking everyone to leave her alone for the day. She captioned it, “It's a beautiful day to leave me alone.”

Alia thanked the entire team for a wonderful experience while shooting Raazi. She shared a picture with her co-star Vicky and director Meghnaa and captioned it, “Schedule wrap for this amazing team and a picture wrap for me! Thank You Team #Raazi for this beauuuutiful experience. Its been all things amaze. So so special!!! @meghnagulzar @aliaabhatt @karanjohar @jungleepictures @wrkprint.”

Meghna Gulzar has definitely become too fond of her Sehmat aka Alia Bhatt. The two were seen chilling with each other on the location. The official social media handle posted the image on digital platform and captioned it, “Beautiful bond of an actor and her director. #Raazi.”

It wasn’t all work no play for the Raazi team. Alia also tried her hand at badminton with other cast and crew members. The official social media handle for the film Raazi shared the image and captioned it, “Midnight badminton sessions and cold #Kashmiri nights make an enjoyable combination for team #Raazi!”

■ Meghna, which is Gulzar saab’s bravest film according to you?

M: Maachis. Since he’s a Sikh himself, the insurgency and 1984 riots were scarring, yet papa made a film which said such strong things in his inimitable soft and objective style. He didn’t glorify the misled youth but simply underlined circumstances which made them feel alienated and take up arms.

■ Gulzar saab, Meghna has often said that she can’t think of going to any other lyricist for her songs…

G: How can she? Meghna, Shaad (Ali) and Vishal (Bhardwaj) are my children. They wouldn’t be able to bully anyone else the way they do me. Shaad used to ask me for pocket money when he was assisting Mani Ratnam and still gets me to change words like Meghna. Vishal wants the lingo of Meerut; his films are heavy on gaalis.

M: (Laughs) I don’t know how he’s managed it, but papa has written some of his raunchiest songs for Vishal’s films.

M: It was but I got all the songs in a day. “Aye watan” happened right here in this room during my first meeting while I was briefing Shankar (Mahadevan), Ehsaan (Noorani) and Loy (Mendonsa). Papa wanted the line incorporated, “Lab Pe Aati Hai Dua Ban Ke Tamanna Meri…”

G: It was a prayer we sang in school, by Allama Muhammad Iqbal, Pakistan’s poet, who also wrote “Sare Jahan Se Achcha”. Poetry and literature cannot be divided. It’s one India.

M: “Dilbaro” was written in the studio. The trio had composed a tune and as it played, papa started coming up with the words… “Ungli Pakad Ke Tune, Chalna Sikhaya Tha Na, Dehleez Oonchi Hai Yeh, Paar Kara De.”

G: In this case it was not threshold of the home, yahan sarhad paar karwana tha. This triumvirate is so creative they make your job easy no matter how big the challenge.

■ Meghna’s next is Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw biopic, another challenge.

G: Every generation walks its own path. And rather than teach, it’s better if we learn from this new generation of brilliant filmmakers.

M: Usually parents talk down to their kids but papa always said that even if you’re 40, when your child is five, you’re just a fiveyear- old father. And a child who is raised with this sense of equality, grows up to be a confident individual, secure in his own world and the world beyond.

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